When You Are Space,
You Will Not Be Influenced

… We have used the word “Space” quite often and have been using it, because the meaning of Space takes your mind away from what it thinks. The mind never thinks about Space. So we have to punish the mind by offering it Space. [Laughter] Then the mind becomes docile and lovable, because he thinks, “If I do not behave very well, he’s going to give me the Space.” [Laughter] …

Shiv Nath: …You had said, “You are able to accept the fact when I tell you that the world does not exist without you. But what you’re not able to accept is that you are free from the powers of the world”—the ability of the world to draw you in is how I understood it. Can you describe the distinction between those two states?

Swamiji: Yes. Individually, you are a person. Anything which is in front of your eyes is part of the world, so you know that it is the world. If you take off, then you have no concern whether these persons exist or do not exist. Suppose you go to Canada, then without you, these people do not exist. In the same way, when you came here, then the people there don’t exist. So it can be easily understood that without you, the world does not exist.

But if you have actually understood this, then the question will not arise about the power of the world to influence you and your getting swayed and moving along with the world. If you know that without you the world does not exist, then you are the one who alone exists. And you—who is you in permanent existence—That exists, and all this world, etc., is nothing but you at that time. So this is the point which is to be carried by you in your understanding, that the sense of duality still remains even when you hear, “Without you, the world does not exist.” Because you accept that the world is there. Whereas the world is already not there. And you are not there.

So in the teachings, this has to happen, especially for the teacher, who knows that you are a human being and you are missing the point, which is before birth. Now, before birth you have been. You do not know this. But without you, even this will not be known. So this you, who is you, this you is the same who has been That and who has been this. But the moment That is seen as a form and the form is seen as permanent, then it becomes your chitt, mind, vaasanaa [sense of otherness], ignorance or bhaavanaa [sense of individuality].

So all human beings are victimized by birth—but not as a child. Because a child is born to know that whatever he is he should know, and then do the trip and experience everything. But no. As soon as he is given a name and is called a form, that “You are this form,” then form and name becomes added to his chitt [mind], which means Aatma [Self] becomes chitt. Whereas Aatma is pure Aatma: it has no association of name, no association of form. But a human being does not know this, so he questions, “If I am Aatma, then why do I see forms?” He thinks that his eyes are Aatma, so he does not grasp Aatma alone as his nature—formless, nameless, thinkingless, knowledgeless, ignoranceless. That is Pure.

For us, we became human beings. And we have to talk about this to human beings. Now human beings think human beings are born, they will have difficulties of disease and sickness, and they will die. This is the difficulty with human beings. Better a bird: it does not think like this, about whether it will die or not. So a human being has a mechanism. The mechanism is his karan, his instrument, his antahkaran and bahish karan, his inner and outer senses. The inner senses are his ego, intellect, mind, and me, or chaytan. Now, this is not known to a human being. So we have to accept it. Because whatever he knows, at least that is to be accepted; whatever he thinks, that is to be accepted. But the very person who thinks, who changes his thinking, who rethinks, who changes his rethinking, and who again changes does not know why he does not stay at one place.

So then confusion takes place. And confusion slowly and slowly turns into disease. And that disease spreads and becomes more and more and more and vaster and vaster, just as hydrogen and oxygen becomes thicker, thicker, thicker and then an iceberg, or earth. When we speak of the antahkaran we do not mean that is you. We say, “Without you, the world is not,” because you are a body. You say, “Yes, I am.” And then we say, “The world is out there, so other bodies are there.” This talk you understand, so you can accept it. That which you do not understand, you are not supposed to understand.

Because understanding is the beginning of your life. The whole career of a human being begins with understanding. Now understanding is not gold, silver, cloth, hair, nails or even nerves or food. Understanding is pure. Understanding is the basic, essential reality, existence or truth, which is the basis. Out of it, all the material and conscious forms are made. When I say this, then you think that the very Self, the very basis, the originality became the world. If I then say that this originality is Sat Chit Aanand, you say, “Then, this is also Sat Chit Aanand.” Still, it works. Because then you’re treating it as meaning, “All is fine, all is fine.” Unless something wrong comes to your head, till then all is fine. [Laughter] But it is not that all is fine—something wrong will come. So that does not work.

When I say, “You are the one who, when you were not born, the world was there,” you understand this, that “Yes, the child was not born, and the world was and we were.” So without the child body, the world was meaningless for him. Why is this not possible now? When the child is the same, why did the world now become meaningful? This became his mistake. Because he associated with the worldly forms. And forms were not there. This also he understands. Forms were not there, and he was not there. Then he is quiet. And he asks, “Then what was there?” But he has no power on the level of the mind to understand that Space was there.

So again and again we say to the person who does not know the Space that Space was there—because he has the ability to know the Space, since Space is the originality. Space became coloured as soon as he was born: then the antahkaran and the senses and organs came into existence, and they began to function. And he does not know who functions. It is the same understanding that is functioning. So he thinks that it functions, and from the mind he concludes, “I function. But the kriya, or function, and I are different. I am different, and the results of my actions are different.” Whereas whatever man does, it is all he. But he doesn’t understand this. He says, “I am somebody, but my eyes are different, my ears, tools and everything is different.” So the sense of difference is consciousness, chaytan. When the basic reality of a human being is chaytan, where is the chance for him to have Oneness? He will behave in the light of duality, everything duality: “I am, you are. I am, they are. I am. I want to live, I don’t care for others.” All this starts.

But your point is that you want to understand how it is that the world influences you and you begin to know their rules and abide by them. Not only this, you see others doing the same. The supreme court judges are called the bench of intelligence. They are sitting on a bench—so it is the same jar [insentience]. If you sit on jar, whatever you do will be jar. All human beings are sitting on jar and are speaking with jar, so the whole field became jar. And I began to say, “Whenever you are inert, anybody can befool you.”

But if you are aware—of your consciousness, the idea, the mind—then think that this idea is false, fictitious. This is known by such examples as when you see a rope but understand that a snake is there. You are a head and the idea arose in it. So then the idea is not true, because it says that a snake is there. The idea has forgotten that a rope is there. Forgetfulness of the rope and knowledge of the snake, this you understand. I say that this is a human being. He has forgotten the Self and understands the snake-body. And the snake is never there: if you see closely, then you’ll find a rope. If you have vichaar, or proper consideration or examination, then the very mind which was saying that a snake was there now says, “Oh, oh, oh, a snake is not there.” So it can be changed.

That is what I understand: your illusion can be changed. You are seeing yourself as a body. The body is changing. The snake has changed immediately, but your body will change ten days after. But it is your wrong idea that this body is with you. The snake is not with the rope, the body is not with the Aatma. But the Aatma is not seen, the rope is seen. So the problem is that human eyes are prakriti [insentient material] and see the whole prakriti [field of insentience], but they do not see the Space.

So we began to say that Space is real. People ask, “How can Space be real? We can’t eat it. We can’t drink it. We cannot gain or lose it. We cannot play with it. What is the Space!” So nobody identifies with the Space, which means nobody recognizes that “I am the Space.” So I say, “When you are the Space, why would you be influenced by jar, by the inert, or by the rules and regulations of people? You will not be influenced.” But you are a human being. So you ask, “Well, I can understand that I am the Space. But how has this Space become the form of a human being?” You want to know this. I don’t tell you how it became, because you are not going to accept it.

In a dream, how did you become an elephant? How did you become the dreamer? And you are sleeping. To that, you call “me.” You are neither the sleeper, nor the dream elephant, nor Shiv Nath in the waking state. So then you say, “No. I want to know how it happened.” So I use the same style as you use, I give you some reason, some cause, and say, “Because you have eaten too much, so you slept and had the dream. Reduce your food, then you will not see the dream”—because you are afraid of the dream. You are afraid of the waking state. I have to remove your fear. So whatever you think, that “These are the means to remove fear,” I use them. Then you are convinced. But you will still be seeing the dream and will be afraid. You will still be seeing the waking state world and will be afraid and will die. And this wheel will remain intact.

But you became aware that “I really want to be out of this wheel of birth and death.” Why? Death is terrible, so you say, “I want to be out of birth and death.” But birth you like. And birth is nothing but the flesh of your mom. Everything—your blood, flesh, bones, DNA, everything is of your mom. So you are a kind of bad ball. The Space is not a bad ball. So we take the bad ball, which is called good. A ball is understanding that “I am a ball.” Everywhere, everyone likes the ball, you have seen it. Everyone likes the human child. Now, a teacher cannot speak to agyanis [those ignorant of the Self], “You are not a ball,” or “You are not a body.” So the teacher only talks to those people who are eager and ready to unfold that which they are and they are missing. They are the Self, but they are missing it and are instead knowing the body and mind. This is chitt, chaytan.

You do not know what chitt, or consciousness, is, although you understand that without consciousness you cannot know. So you are sure that consciousness is there. But I ask, “What is that?” At that time you say, “It could be mind, intellect, this or this”—as if I should be convinced. You are knowing that chaytan exists, but as long as chaytan exists, then your body exists, matter exists. When chaytan does not exist in deep sleep, then the world does not exist. If you come to know this, that “I am That where neither the body exists nor the world exists,” then the world and body is one. If you know this, then you will always be quiet in front of millions of people. Because they only know the body exists and the world exists and whatever you have also learned—that “This will make you high. That will make you loving. This will make you this and you will gain that.” And you never think that kaal dayvta, time, is waiting to devour you.

This is the only time that you have to know that Guruji is saying that you are the Self. This is only realized by a human being. But a human being is wanting to know, “What is That?” Guru should be able to say that which you can understand. You understand your Anubhav, your Experience. Experience you cannot deny. Experience is not a rope. Experience is not a snake. And Experience is not illusion. Because all three, you are knowing. Your Knower knows a rope. The rope is gone and the Knower is still there. The Knower is knowing illusion. Illusion is gone, the Knower is there. The Knower is knowing a snake. The snake is gone, the Knower is there. If the Knower is there, then the Knower is ever-present in all three situations. It is present now. It is present in the dream. It is present in deep sleep. Why would you not understand this is Me? When you understand that, then the job is done. [Applause] …

Shiv Nath’s point was very correct, because all this world, the show, is going on. And each of us has to be influenced. Your point was that the world does not exist, yet why do you get influenced by its show or rules? Because we are human beings. So with human beings, we don’t criticize a show, or a form, ornaments in gold or silver in an oyster: if you are seeing them, it’s alright. What can a poor dog do but become a dog, become hungry and have some bread, or whatever he eats? So human beings will remain as they are.

But certain human beings among you—maybe one or two, or a maybe a few more—want to be free in this lifetime, because they are enlightened of the fact. They want to know, “Why did this body grow and become big?” Others say, “No. I’m eating and drinking, that’s why I have lots of energy. And because I have lots of energy, so I have to spend it.” So all those things go on for him. But there are those persons who want to be free from this on-going questioning, this on-going thinking, which is not subsiding: it is always there. Although it subsides in deep sleep, they want peace in the waking state. There are some persons like this. If their genuine desire is there, then there must be an answer.

There is so much education, so many cultures, and so many people, and all of them taken together are not able to evolve that which may help such a person. Why? Because it is not the job of all human beings to change one man. It is the job of one person to change himself, to change himself to that which he wants. He wants peace. And he knows what peace is. So we have not to define it. He should now examine where peace lies in the field of changes. Nowhere. Therefore, he has to close the functioning of the senses for some time and open that Being, that I, that vision, that understanding or that realization which should enable the human mind to know that this human mind needs purification. It should be transformed. And the means of transformation is this, which he should practise. As you have become “I am Kaanti Prakaash,” or “I am Ken,” so you can become “I am the Self.”